Top Reasons to Attend our Fall Fest!

Yes, we have a Fall Fest and Super Rooster Trail Fun Run occurring this Saturday, October 3rd, from 10am-3pm! And we think you should join the festivities. 

What's that?

Do we have any good reasons for you to attend? 

Why, as a matter of fact, yes we do.

Conveniently, we've compiled a list.



- IT'S RUN BY OUR CAMPFIRE COUNCIL. They're a group of former staff, alumni, and Camp parents who are volunteering their time, energy, and talents to bettering the Camp community. As a 65 year old facility, it is vital that we have this group of friends working to support and give back to Camp. We appreciate them very much and hope you come check out this great event they've put together.

- SUPER ROOSTER TRAIL RUN. Campers love our Rooster Run. You get up in the morning, have a little run, have a little jog, have a little walk, have a little tour of Camp. And this is going to be a SUPER version of that! It's a full 5k, taking several winding loops through Camp, out our range road, and along a beautiful trail through Stokes Forest that rejoins Camp property on the far side of Lake Shawanni. It's a great way to see the woods in October, and the first time we've ever done this course. Also, it starts at 10am instead of 7am. There's a lot to love about that as well. 



- GOSH, AUTUMN IS NICE AT CAMP. Speaking of the woods in October, there's a lot of perks to that situation. You've got leaves beginning to change! You've got yellows! You've got reds! You've got oranges! You've still got greens! Cause it's still the beginning! You've got a bit of brisk temperature! You've got a crisp chill in the air! You've got an opportunity to wear a light jacket! Yes, your favorite light jacket it hasn't been appropriate to wear all summer-and-early-fall-long, now's the time. Get that light jacket. Bring it to the Fall Fest. A dream come true.




- SUMMER FUN IN THE FALL. After the Super Rooster Trail Run, The Campfire Council has a great batch of activities planned. Fun fall tie-dye, pumpkin games, pumpkin crafts, apple cider 'round Lakeside Firering, and tractor-drawn hayrides around Camp are just a few of the can't-miss activities on the agenda.




- AN EXCLUSIVE, SPECIAL, AND OTHER WORD-THAT-MEANS-IT'S-IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT SUMMER CAMP 2016.  An announcement?! Announcements are great. Especially Summer Camp announcements. Especially Summer Camp announcements that happen at Fall Fests! What could it be about? I'll give a hint: Nope, no I won't, actually. No hint. You'll have to attend our Campfire Council's Fall Fest to find out.

SUPER Rooster Run and Family Fall Fest

Our first seasonal Summer Camp event is here!

This event is being held by our Campfire Council. The Campfire Council is a volunteer group made up of Camp alumni, former staff, and parents who work to support Lindley G. Cook 4-H Camp and further it’s mission. We’re excited for them to be holding their very first fundraiser this fall.

The day kicks off at 10am with a Super Rooster Run, a 5k Fun Trail Run for all ages. The route of the run will loop through Camp, out along a trail, and back around Lake Shawanni.  It’ll be great fun, good exercise, and a beautiful autumn tour of both Camp and Stokes State Forest. Participants can feel free to run, jog, skip, hop or walk along the course.

Afterward, at 11am, we’ll transition right into our Family Fall Fest. It’ll be all about some good Summer Camp fun in crisp Autumn Weather. We’ll have fall games, hay rides, some creative pumpkin related activities, tie-dye for all, and much much more. The event will run until 3 o’clock. 

All proceeds will go to help with future facility improvement projects, general Camp needs and camperships. The event is open to everyone, so it could be a great chance to introduce some friends to Camp as well. You can visit the Campfire Council’s Facebook Event here. Questions can be directed to lgccampcouncil@gmail.com.

We'll look forward to see you there!

(But the weather is still warm, you think? Too early to be talking about a Fall Fest, you say? Nonsense! Try telling that to our Lakeside Fire Ring.)

Leaves! Leaves fallen everywhere!

Leaves too turned to read our signs! What's a LAE SHANI!? I don't know!

Who donated these leaves to our Lakeside Project!

The Camp Director was not ready for this. Summer, like, just ended!

And yet here they are.

See that one orange tree in a sea of green? That tree, is all ready for our Fall Fest. And we hope you are too!

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WAR Canoe

People always ask what in the world do we do at Camp when the summer season is over?

The answer is simple.

Stuff like this. We just do stuff like this:




What is THIS!?

This is an old war canoe.

Or more accurately...this is OUR old war canoe.

Gather 'round, and I'll tell a tale. It's not going to be a very good tale, cause I don't  know any of the needed details, but it will be a tale nonetheless.

As the legend goes, a massive War Canoe once sailed the current and owned the shores of Lake Shawanni. Yes, this mighty...actually, that's all I know. All I know is we once had a massive War Canoe here at Camp. We even have the receipt to prove it:

That's the whole story. We had a huge canoe. People liked it. (That last statement is pure speculation. But who wouldn't like a GIANT canoe?) And then at some point we didn't have a huge canoe anymore.

Flash forward to modern day. When some nice people emptying out their garage did some research, discovered Camp was the previous owner of the large canoe that had been sitting in storage, and took steps to track us down. Special thanks to the Buchel Family for donating this piece of history back to Camp!

So thanks to some generous thoughtful folks, the canoe is one again Camp's.

If we can get this massive TWENTY-FIVE foot back to Camp, that is. And how on earth are we gonna do that?

Wait. Seriously? We're just gonna throw it on the truck?

I am noticeably skeptical of this plan.

Which of course just leads to us just throwing the canoe on the truck.

Are you sure this is going to fit on the truck?

Yeah, I know it's a big truck.

But it's also a big canoe, is all I'm saying.

All right. I guess it's kind of on the truck.

Serves me right for questioning the full might, know how, and general get-the-job-done-ship of the Camp Facilities team. 

We could have put two canoes on that truck!  Three canoes! All the canoes!

And now our war canoe is back at home.

Safe and sound, nestled in the rafters of the craftshop.

So the big questions of course is, what are we going to do with this war canoe?

And the big answer is a familiar one here at Camp...we have no idea.

But you can bet we're gonna do something  with it.

Maybe it will make a nice museum piece. 

Maybe we can turn into a fancy Welcome to Camp Sign?

Or maybe, just maybe, we can restore its sea worthy-ness and it can conquer the waves of Lake Shawnni once more.

Does anyone out there in the Camp Alumni universe remember the War Canoe? Have any good stories? Or better yet...pictures? Get in touch and fill us in on the history!

Baby Velcro

So, our summer campers leave. And Camp gets quiet. And calm. And some of our other residents who get lost in the hustle and bustle of summer begin to come on out of the woodwork to claim Camp for their own again. Residents like...BABY SNAPPING TURTLES.

The classic big snapping turtle look you love...

Crammed down into a convenient, tiny...

Easy to transport...

Palm sized package.

Uh-oh.

No, Woodrow.

Like so many other things, no, this is not for you.

Off to drop the little guy at his new lakeside home. All while keeping a safe distance from the always curious Camp dog.

And then, SUDDENLY,  the next day...

Another one!

Two days, two baby snapping turtles?

That's even luckier than finding a four leaf clover.(Sorry, Mckee.)

Better get him to pose for a Camp photo.

There we go.

You should be able see where this is going.

Ahh! Yup. It's going here. Told you. Should have seen that one coming a mile away. Turtle was going in the coffee cup.

'Cause it's a perfect vehicle for a nice relocation trip. (I'll wash the mug. I promise. If I remember. Which I probably won't.)

All right. Here we go.

Time for your swim eval.

Yup. A blue swimmer indeed. Good luck, tiny Lil' Mini-Baby-Velcro Jr, good luck. May Shawanni treat you well.

Meanwhile.  Right next door a small frog is super unhappy I just assigned him a snapping turtle as a bunk mate. Get over it, Frog. Camp's about making new friends.

Next Time: A new piece of old history. Or an ancient new addition. Or...something happens.

A Summer in Pictures: Volume III

And now for your final (well, kinda final...something tells me you'll still see plenty of summer '15 pictures showing up on here for a while), but FINAL (final for now until it's not ar all final anymore) final volume...Volume III: Your Camper Submitted Photos.

Cabin #11 before the Dinner Extravaganza.

Counselors on the mountain top.

One last cabin photo.

It's Saturday morning! You have your cell phone once again! That means you need a parting snapshot of Lake Shawanni.

Our best kept secret. CHAOS is fun.

Cabin 11. In their boxes.

Classic outside the cabin shot.

Wish boats awaiting to be launched. "A wish boat Wednesday, my personal favorite of all of summer."

"An extravagant counselor, CIT 1 and Thomas Murphy Winner all in one picture."

The obligatory Saturday morning Camper/Counselor farewell photo.

Arts and Craftswear.

Between the blur and the good sunlight coming through the trees, and those faces, this sums up a millisecond at Camp nicely.

Hey! A camera! We know what those things are! Point at it and smile! Quick! Before we miss our chance!

There's Velcro! The dinosaur of Lake Shawanni, caught on film. (I'm pretty sure these came from a REAL LIFE disposable camera, so yes...FILM!)

And now...FISH.

Catfish!

I told you we had Catfish in the lake.

And catfish are cool.

And bass fish!

Just called "bass", and not "bass fish"? Well okay. I don't agree, but okay.

This is such a perfect "Camper and his fish" photo I can't even express it further.

Happy friends.

CRAZY happy friends.

"Oh my favorite time of the year...sending Ben pictures of camp memories!!"

A very special thanks to Justin, Sophia, Ben, Melissa, Kiera and Miranda (and some of their parents) for sending these fine photos along. Oh, and also thanks the Wojciech. Always thanks to Wojciech.